May 1, 2008
Creeping Totalitarianism Department
Creed Of the Legislative Tyrant
From the U.K. comes a new law that its backers claim will ban violent pornography:
Five years ago Jane Longhurst, a teacher from Brighton, was murdered. It later emerged her killer had been compulsively accessing websites such as Club Dead and Rape Action, which contained images of women being abused and violated.
The victim's mother has been campaigning for a law that would ban even the mere possession or viewing of such images, essentially treating some forms of adult pornography as if it involved children.
Then there's the question of just how the law defines the banned material:
"Obviously anything that leads to violence against women has to be taken very seriously," says Baroness Miller. "But you have to be very careful about the definition of 'extreme pornography' and they have not nearly been careful enough."
She has suggested the new act adopt the legal test set out in the OPA, which bans images which "tend to deprave and corrupt".
But the government has sought to broaden the definition and the bill includes phrases such as "an act which threatens or appears to threaten a person's life".
When asked about how this law will affect people who enjoy a little kinky sex, Mrs Longhurst responds in true nanny form:
There is no reason for this stuff. I can't see why people need to see it.
That's the creed of every petty legislative tyrant in the world: I don't need it, and I don't understand it, so we ought to ban it for my enjoyment.
And make no mistake, this is all about Mrs Longhurst's enjoyment. She can invoke her poor dead daughter all she wants, but her daughter will be just as dead after this law has passed. This law is about making Mrs Longhurst feel good about herself. It makes her feel like she did something to honor her daughter.
While I'd be happy to see her recover control over her life after this terrible tragedy, she has no business hurting other people in the process. This law will subject people with private sexual quirks to intrusive and humiliating investigations. They may even end up in jail.
Next time Mrs Longhurst responds to criticism by playing the dead daughter card, she's likely to be surprised when her critics respond with the cards for their imprisoned spouses, brothers, parents, and children.
(Hat tip: Reason.)
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